“My mother’s last words to me were, chase your dreams”
> Name: Alhamza Al Sadr > Age: 24 > Profession: Multimedia Exec > Nationality: Iraqi
We are often faced with certain hardships in life, yet we grow up believing that “to struggle is to survive”. However, as crucial as it is to survive, it is equally important to learn from the obstacles that life has unpredictably thrown at us.
For 24-year-old Alhamza Al Sadr, life has certainly been somewhat of an obstacle, but he instead likes to refer it to as “a continuous journey of seeing phases of darkness and light.”
The UAE resident came from Iraq in 2000, in hopes of finding peace and trying to live a stable life. “My family had to leave Iraq simply because of our lastname and the history it has.”
Nevertheless, the fear of a rising sectarian violence and groups harming one another – lead to his family’s decision to make UAE not just their new home, but also their safety net.
“We just wanted to live a normal life — going to school and work without having to worry about our safety.”
By the new millennium, the family happily settled in UAE, where Alhamza’s mother began to focus on her passion and career in herbal medicine, while his father ran a small business, and the children focused on pursuing their education.
“I couldn’t speak any English, it was such a struggle for me to communicate with those around me.”
“But dad sent me to a British school, and although I cried my eyes out the first few weeks because I couldn’t understand anything, later on I realised that he did it for my own good.”
Everything seemed to be going according to the way the family had planned. They were living comfortably safe, in a friendly and welcoming country, and looking forward to life in the UAE.
However, this is when the “darkness suddenly striked”.
“When I was 18, my parents faced multiple tragedies, as many of their family members passed away in Iraq and therefore they moved back and left my brother and me here.”
Road to self discovery
“This is when life really began for me.”
“I realised that I had to work extremely hard and study at the same time. It was a real struggle.”
His struggle however, was also somewhat a blessing in disguise.
“Going through hardship from a young age was a real learning lesson, because it taught me how to be patient and independent.”
Alhamza took on various subjects in his university studies, from chemical engineering to architecture — until he finally discovered his true calling.
“I realised that I have a great talent in art, so this became my passion and I went on to do my degree in multimedia design.”
After creating an awe-inspiring film, the young student was approached by his professor who informed him that he was born to do this.
Alhamza’s film, which focused on women’s rights, did not only exceeded the viewers’ expectations, but it also won him the Abu Dhabi Film Festival Award (second place category).
Moreover, the short movie even went to global film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival.
“My movie focused on women’s rights and domestic violence. It was a vital topic for me, because I oppose anything that opposes human rights.”
Although his film projects the cycle of abuse hidden away in millions of relationships, it is, nevertheless, ambiguously beautiful, and perhaps that is one reason why it was chosen by AUS University as part of the syllabus course on women’s rights.
Alhamza’s passion in filmmaking continued to rise, as he then won second place in Shaikha Manal Young Artist Award for another film, which looks at life’s unpredictable journeys — something that is ironically linked to Alhamza’s own story.
The devastating phone call
By the time he graduated, the path ahead seemed to appear clear and bright, until he received a devastating phone call.
“I found out that my mother had stage four cancer.” But a year later, he was told that his mother was free from the disease. “Her health meant the world to me.”
However, a few weeks later he received another devastating call. “I was told that the cancer had come back and it was more aggressive than ever.”
In October 2015, Alhamza spend every moment he could with his mother, because he knew those were her last days.
“My mother was a true fighter, she survived cancer for over a year, so that pretty much tells you what kind of strong woman she was.” She taught us how to lead and be strong, dad taught us how to love and to have strong and deep emotions.
“My mother’s last words to me were, chase your dreams.”
“She truly believed that as long as you are happy and following your passion, then you are leading a fulfilling life.”
The senior account executive in Socialize Agency, wants to make sure that he keeps his mother’s last words alive.
“I will continue to follow my passion in multimedia, and I will hopefully start my own business one day.”
Yet, although life is about following one’s dreams, it is often difficult when one is forced to have limited dreams.
“My dreams and goals seem limited — all because of the passport that I carry. Having a different passport will provide me freedom to chase all the dreams that I promised my late mother.”